Oh Hateful Love
by kitkat2001
Summary: Lydia Garret has never been one for true love. "Happily ever after" is childish, and love at first sight is only in fairy tales. But when Embry Call imprints on her, everything changes. Will he give her a fairy tale ending, or will it be more like Romeo and Juliet?
1. Great Ideas

Chapter 1

Great Ideas

_Two households, both alike in dignity,_

_In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,_

_From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,_

_Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean._

_From forth the fatal loins of these two foes_

_A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;_

_Whose misadventured piteous overthrows_

_Do with their death bury their parents' strife._

_The fearful passage of their death-marked love,_

_And the continuance of their parents' rage,_

_Which, but their children's end, naught could remove,_

_Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;_

_The which if you with patient ears attend,_

_What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend._

Lydia stared down at her book in irritation. Why was it that all old books had to have such small letters? It was hard enough reading Shakespeare in a moving van with her older brother's music blaring through his headphones; she shouldn't have to decipher words so miniscule that they blurred together into thin black lines. She squinted harder, and began the slow process of deciphering the text.

_Two households, bothali ke in-_ Lydia stopped. That couldn't possibly be right. She blinked, and the words came into focus again. _Both alike in dignity,_ _In fair Verona, where we lay our snece,_ Wrong again. _Secne?_ No. _Scene_. That was it. _From naceint. _No, that would be ancient, it was one of the words she had memorized. _From ancient grudge break to newmutiny_- _new tuminy. Minuty?_

Lydia gave a huff of irritation and tapped her brother's shoulder. James paused his music and glanced down at the word she was pointing to. "Mutiny," he said, and then returned to his music.

Lydia gave him a nod of thanks, and continued her efforts. _Where civil blood makes live hands unclean. _Live hands? That made no sense. Had she mixed up a word again, or was Shakespeare just full of nonsense? She didn't want to ask James again; he was wrapped up in his iPod.

Lydia slammed the book shut and stared out the car window. It wasn't just the moving car that interfered with her reading; her dyslexia was the majority of the problem. But maybe her pounding headache wouldn't be so bad if they could finally just get to where they were going.

She would finish reading the prologue to _Romeo and Juliet_ once they reached the new house, Lydia decided. Maybe then her dyslexia would be under control. Not that it was ever really under control, but she usually had more patience than this.

"Annalise?" James shouted over the music that only he could hear. "Annalise?"

"What?" Their mother snapped back.

Mom always got like that on long road trips. She hated being confined in small spaces like that, and usually took out her frustration on whoever had the guts to talk first. Of course, James didn't care about that anyway. He and their mother were always in the middle of some sort of argument anyway.

"How much longer 'till we get there?" James demanded.

"Just a half hour or so, be patient."

James gave a huff of annoyance and returned to his music. Lydia sighed and rested her head on the cool glass pane of the window, staring at the scenery. The side of the road blurred into a line of green with spots of brown, but when she focused she could see the dense forests that they were driving through. She was more than used to forests after living in North Carolina for the past few months, but wasn't La Push supposed to be a beach? At least, that's what their mother had told them. That was all she really knew about their new home: it was some sort of Indian reservation and it was on the beach. Not much to go on, but she had known less about their previous homes.

"Annalise!" James shouted again.

"What is it this time?"

"Do you remember the address of our new place?"

There was a brief pause, and the car slowed slightly as their mother tried to remember. "Of course I do," she said at last, and then rattled off an address that could very well be made up for all James and Lydia knew.

They were silent for the rest of the car ride, with Lydia staring out the window and pretending to read whenever her mother glanced back and James playing on his iPod. It was supposedly at least another hour before they reached the reservation, but Lydia had learned not to rely on her mother's time estimates too much.

-Oh Hateful Love-

Two hours later the car pulled to a stop outside a small white house. "Here we are!" said their mom, beaming. "Hello, La Push!"

James raised a critical eyebrow. "I thought you said there was a beach."

"Of course there is, but not right here. It's close, though, you can go swimming with all your friends whenever you want!"

"I could have done that at a pool," James grumbled.

Her smile faded slightly. "Are you still mad about the move?"

James rolled his eyes. "Yes, Annalise, I'm still mad about the move. I thought you said that North Carolina was the last place."

"But La Push is even better! It can be a new start for us!" said their mom, waiting for them to get excited about her latest "great idea".

She was always having great ideas. Quitting her steady job as a teacher, traveling the country to lecture on Shakespeare, moving on a whim every few months. James and Lydia had learned to adjust, but it was still hard. Not so much for Lydia, who was homeschooled, but James always had to leave behind close friends.

"Come on, let's look at the house!" their mom said excitedly, grabbing her bag and hurrying to the front door. After a few minutes of struggle she finally managed to get in, and they entered the house that would become their home for the next few months.

It was small, but better than some of the places they had stayed. The door opened directly into a small living room, with an even smaller kitchen directly beside it. Behind the living room was a hallway barely big enough to fit the three of them that led into three bedrooms and a bathroom.

"We'll have to share the bathroom, but at least we'll all get our own bedroom," their mother explained.

"That's a relief," Lydia muttered. The last time she and James shared a bedroom she was always being woken up at two in the morning by him sneaking back in. She didn't know why he bothered to sneak around; she doubted her mother cared what he did at night. Maybe he thought he was hiding it from Lydia, but she was well aware of everything he got up to.

"This place will be different," their mother said confidently. "I can feel it."

And even though she said that at every new place and for every new job, Lydia couldn't help but hope that she was right.

-Oh Hateful Love-

"I can't believe this," Embry muttered angrily.

"Believe what?" Quil asked absently, his attention focused on the pencil balanced on his nose.

"Just look at them! Making out in public; it's completely inappropriate!"

"Since when do you care about PDA?"

"Since it was Rosalind who was doing it," Jacob piped up. "She's with her new boyfriend, the one that just moved here."

"He's been here for less than a month! That's nowhere near enough time to get to know a person!" Embry ranted, watching as Rosalind kissed her boyfriend goodbye and head to class.

" Dude, relax," Quil said lightly, leaning forward and trying to catch the pencil in his mouth. "It's not like you stood a chance with her in the first place."

"That's not true!" Embry protested. "We were starting to talk!"

"Her asking you to borrow a pencil does not count as talking," Quil replied.

"There was also that time she bumped into me in the hall and apologized. Plus I know she knows my name, because she sits next to me in English and hears it in roll call every morning."

"Wow, you're practically married!" Quil said sarcastically.

"Whatever. It's obvious that she belongs with me."

"That's what Taylor Swift said too! It's like she has a window into your soul," Quil mocked, putting a hand over his heart and fluttering his eyelashes.

Embry gave Quil a playful shove, but it ended up being a bit harder than originally intended. Quil was sent tumbling out of his seat, but he quickly retaliated by lunging at Embry and knocking him to the ground. They rolled across the floor, locked in a playful wrestling match until they hit the lockers.

Embry struggled to his feet, still slightly unbalanced. He stuck his hand out to catch his fall and ended up tumbling into the person beside him. He was about to apologize when he suddenly realized whom he had fallen into. James Garret. Perfect.

"Sorry, man," James began, but Embry cut him off with a scowl.

"Watch where you're going," he snapped.

James let out a dry laugh, but there was something almost dangerous in his eyes. "Whoa, chill out. You're the one who bumped into me."

"Yeah? Well that wouldn't be a problem if you could just stay out of my way," Embry retorted angrily. It didn't matter whose fault it was; this was his chance to finally tell James Garret what he thought of him.

James' jaw flexed in anger. "Hey, back off," he said, straightening to his full height, which was only an inch or so above Embry.

"What are you going to do about it," Embry sneered, taking a step forward until their chests were almost touching.

"What's your problem?" James demanded.

"My problem is that you think you can just waltz in here and take over the school! Like you're even that great anyway. You don't deserve Rosalind!" Embry winced slightly at the last sentence. He hadn't meant for that particular tidbit to come out, but there was no taking it back now.

James let out a low laugh. "Is that what this is about? You've got a thing for my girlfriend?"

_His_ girlfriend?! Rosalind didn't belong to anybody, and if she did, she belonged to Embry! How could James just waltz in to the midst of things and stake a claim on the girl he had been trying to get for years? Embry couldn't take it anymore.

He lunged forward, swinging his fist towards James' face. James dodged, but the edge of Embry's fist still glanced off of his cheek. James returned with a swift punch towards his chest, and before he knew it both boys were tumbling onto the floor, only this time the fighting was real.

Quil and Jacob rushed forward, trying to pry Embry off of James before he phased, but before they could fully separate the two of them a furious voice cut through the clamor of those surrounding the fight.

"What is going on here?" Mr. Scott, the assistant principal, demanded.

James and Embry stumbled away from each other, both breathing heavily. A bruise was already beginning to form on James' cheek and one of his arms, and Embry felt a sharp stinging sensation in his chest that may or may not have been a cracked rib. He would heal soon enough thanks to his powers, but it was still annoying.

"They were just messing around," Quil said quietly, but it was obvious to all involved that the fight had been a lot more than just 'messing around'.

"This is ridiculous," Mr. Scott snapped. "Detention for both of you, and if it happens again I can assure you there will be far more serious consequences." He turned to look at James. "Mr. Garret, you've only been here a short while, and you're already fighting. I don't know what went on at your previous school, but such behavior is not tolerated here. Learn to control yourself, both of you."

They nodded sullenly, each glaring at the other through narrowed eyes. It was official; Embry hated James Garret with a passion.

-Oh Hateful Love-

Lydia wrapped the small blanket tighter around her body and tried to focus on her book. She hadn't gotten very far in _Romeo and Juliet_ since she first moved; they had been too busy unpacking their things and getting settled into their new life. Not that there was much to settle into. Lydia had hardly gone out at all since they first arrived, only to her mother's theatre group meetings and the occasional trip to the store. Other than that she had remained holed up in her small bedroom or the living room, working on schoolwork and avoiding Shakespeare.

James, on the other hand, had taken to La Push immediately. He was already on the football team, and had tons of friends, even a girlfriend. Lydia wasn't too impressed at the girlfriend part; James had a new girlfriend every few months. Each time he was adamant that she was the one, but something always went wrong. He was a lot like their mother in that aspect, except in his case it wasn't his fault.

Lydia shifted in her position on the couch, trying to get comfortable so that she wouldn't keep getting distracted from her reading. She was at the part where the prince separated the Montagues and Capulets in the street. He made a long speech about what would happen if any of them got caught fighting again, but Lydia had skimmed over most of that part. She could ask James about it later; he practically had the play memorized.

The door slammed and Lydia jumped, looking up to see James storming into the house.

"What's wrong?" she asked curiously as he slung his backpack onto the ground.

"Some douche bag at school attacked me because he was jealous of Rosalind and me. And then Mr. Scott blames me! I wasn't even doing anything; he was the one who went crazy! It's totally unfair, and now I have a detention and I'm going to have to miss my date with Rosalind."

"That sounds horrible," Lydia said absently, already zoning out. When James got into full rant mode he could go on for hours.

"It was! I hate that kid, him and his whole gang."

"Gang?"

"Yeah, it's the 'La Push Gang' or something. They think they're all cool because they hang out with this guy, Sam, who's already graduated. Who even cares?"

"It sounds like you do."

"Whatever," James growled. "They can all go fu-"

"James!" Lydia interrupted, glaring at him disapprovingly.

"Sorry," James sighed. "I keep forgetting you're still an innocent."

"I'm not innocent; you're just vulgar."

James laughed, his bad mood already disappearing. "Whatever you say, little sis. I'm going to get some homework done."

"Have fun," Lydia replied, returning to her book. She could care less about the La Push gang or the drama of James' social life. None of it had anything to do with her anyway.


	2. Fireworks

Chapter 2

Fireworks

"_Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night_."

"Lydia!" James called from the kitchen. "Come in here for a sec."

Lydia glanced up from her book with an annoyed huff. "Why?" she called back. James should have known she was concentrating on Romeo's odd obsession with Rosaline; she couldn't be distracted.

"I need to ask you something!" James shouted.

"Why can't you just ask me while I'm here?"

"Just come in!"

"You come to me!"

The sound of a slamming book came from their mother's room. "One of you just go to the other!" she shouted. "I'm trying to work here!"

Lydia sighed and gingerly got off of the couch. There was no way James would be the first to give in, and if she wanted to go back to her book anytime soon she would have to talk to him first.

"What is it?" she demanded as she entered the kitchen. "What's so terribly important that you had to talk to me this exact second?"

James looked up from his phone, smiled, and ruffled her hair. "You know you love me, little sis."

Lydia sighed and moved out of his reach. "Whatever. What do you want?"

"Rosalind is throwing a party for New Year's Eve at her place. I was wondering if you wanted to come."

Lydia laughed and began moving back towards the door.

"No, wait!" James grabbed her wrist and yanked her back. "This would be fun. It would be a chance for you to meet new people. Honestly, Lydia, you have to make some friends sometime."

Lydia tried to look offended. "I have friends!"  
James raised his eyebrows. "Name one."

"Well, uh, there was that- that girl. The one with the pigtails."

"That was in second grade," James laughed, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Lydia. Just one party. It'll be fun."

"Yeah, a dark room full of sweaty people, bad music, and alcohol. Sounds like a dream," Lydia scoffed.

"Really, Lydia, you know nothing about parties. Besides, it'll be at Rosalind's house, so it's not like it's going to be wild or anything. Just one party, and then I won't bug you anymore. Promise."

"Well, I can't go." Lydia said, turning away to make her retreat back to her book. "I already have plans."

James grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back. "Like what? Reading Romeo and Juliet while Mom lectures you on the themes of the play?"  
Lydia opened her mouth to retort, but closed it again after it became apparent she had no witty comeback. James broke into a smile, knowing he had won. "It starts at ten, but we'll be getting there early to help Rosalind get ready. We can take my truck."

"Fine," Lydia sighed. "Can I get back to my book now?"

James made a gesture with his hands, already absorbed with his phone again. Lydia curled up on the couch and picked up the worn book. Romeo and Benvolio had just helped a servant read a letter, and were planning on crashing some Capulet party because Rosaline would be there. Honestly, what a stupid reason to go to a party.

-Oh Hateful Love-

"Are you sure?" Embry whispered, his eyes darting towards Mrs. Hayweather to make sure she didn't catch him talking.

"Positive," Quil replied, using his book to shield their faces from sight. "The party will be at Rosalind's place, so she's sure to be there."

"Do we have to be invited?"

Quil shrugged. "Who cares? No one's going to notice a few crashers."

"Will James be there?"

"Dude, he's her boyfriend, of course he'll be there. But don't let that stop you, be a man. Or, wolf-man-thing."

Embry sighed, chewing on his pencil in contemplation. There was a loud snap, and suddenly he was holding the shattered remains of his only pencil.

Mrs. Hayweather was instantly at his side. "Mr. Call, are we having a problem?"

Embry ducked his head. "No ma'am, just studying,"

"And breaking your pencil is involved in the studying process how, exactly?"

"It's, um, good for my memory. Loud noises make things stick in my head."

There was a flurry of snickering throughout the room, and Mrs. Hayweather's frown deepened. "Well, I think it would be best if you found a more…appropriate way of studying."

Embry nodded, and pretended to focus on his book until she was out of hearing range. As soon as she was gone he turned back to Quil. "Let's do it," he whispered.

-Oh Hateful Love-

_See the lights, see the party the ball gowns._

_See you make your way through the crowd_

_And say "Hello"_

_Little did I know…_

_That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles,_

_And my daddy said "Stay away from Juliet"_

_And I was crying on the staircase, begging you "Please don't go"_

_And I said…_

"Hey little sis!" James shouted over the music, pushing through the crowd towards Lydia. "Why the long face? I thought you loved Taylor Swift."

Lydia shrugged. "I like most of her songs. Just not the love songs."

"Isn't that all she writes?"

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Ha, ha, you're hilarious. No, she writes plenty of other songs too. And her breakup songs are fine. I just don't like this kind."

"Oh, I forgot. Love songs are 'pointless, unrealistic, and give false expectations.' Wow, you really look on the bright side of things," James joked.

"Yeah, and your experiences have totally given me reason to believe in love."

James placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "Ouch, she bites. Well, I'm going to find Rosalind. Promise to have some fun while I'm gone."

Lydia rolled her eyes and turned away from him, scanning the room. It had pretty much lived up to her expectations. A bunch of stupid teenagers, most of them drunk, screaming out the wrong lyrics to songs and making out in corners. She had been in her spot by the wall for an hour and a half already, and James was the only person she had talked to. Rosalind had greeted her when she arrived, but that was it. James would say she needed to socialize, but if he expected her to actually start a conversation on her own, he was woefully mistaken. She glanced down at her watch. Eleven o'clock, only an hour or two left and then she could leave.

-Oh Hateful Love-

Embry hesitated outside the door to Rosalind's house. He could hear music pounding from within, combined with loud talking and laughter.

"I'm not sure about this," he said, glancing back at Jacob and Quil. "Maybe we should just go back. This was a stupid idea."

"Stop being such a wimp," Quil laughed, pushing open the door and leading the three of them inside. "This is going to be fun."

"If you say so," Embry muttered as he entered, stuffing his hands into his pockets and ducking his head so that no one would recognize him. "Do you want-" He stopped. Quil was already gone, swallowed by the masses. He turned back to Jacob. "Do you want to get something to drink?"

Jacob shrugged, frowning. "Sure."

Embry sighed. Jacob hadn't been the same since he had phased. None of them had, but Jacob was hit especially hard with the loss of Bella to the leech. It was like all he could do was mope after some girl who clearly wasn't interested. Embry winced. He had just described his own situation perfectly.

They made their way to a long table covered with bowls filled with chips and drinks. "Do you want Coke?" he asked Jacob.

"Bella liked coke."

"Yeah, that's great, man. I'm getting some for myself; do what you want. It's probably not spiked; this is Rosalind we're talking about."

-Oh Hateful Love-

Jacob slammed his fist against a nearby table, causing several splintering sounds. "And then she just left! Off to Italy to save some worthless vamp from killing himself! He's not worth it! She could have been killed, but did he care? No! And yet somehow I'm still the bad guy for blaming her!"

Embry rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, you've said that three times already. The sad part is I can't tell if you're drunk or just pathetic."

"And don't even get me started on Leah!"

"I'm really not trying to get you started on anything."

"Just because Sam imprints on her cousin, she thinks she can just be a bi-"

Embry cut him off. "I'm going to go now. I'll try to find Quil, or maybe just avoid you until you're over this."

"Yeah, fine, whatever. And then she tells _me_ I'm being overdramatic! Me!"

Embry sighed and moved away from Jacob. Honestly, he couldn't blame Jacob for being upset. But he got to hear enough about the heartbreak while he was on patrol, he didn't need it here too.

He scanned the room for Rosalind, silently praying that she wasn't with James. Maybe if he could catch her alone she would see how much better he was. James was just some dumb jock with just enough charm to fool girls into liking him. Embry had so much more than that. Like- like wolf powers. He doubted James could turn into a giant animal on command.

There was a couple making out in one corner of the room. Two guys laughing so loudly that there was no way they were sober. A girl practically sitting on a guy he knew from school. A group of about six people half dancing, half talking. A girl standing alone, turning to look at him and- oh.

A shock ran through his body, as if his brain and heart were rewiring, making everything different. What was he doing? He couldn't be looking for Rosalind; he couldn't be doing anything, really, except walking towards the girl as fast as he could. Nothing else really mattered anymore. Nothing else had mattered; he had just been too stupid to realize it. This girl, those big brown eyes and that long dark braid, and the way she hugged her arms close to her body, that was the reason he was here.

-Oh Hateful Love-

"Hi."

Lydia gave a small gasp and jumped. There was suddenly a boy standing beside her, where there definitely hadn't been one before.

"Um, hi," she said quietly, staring at her hands. He had probably mistaken her for someone else. He would realize his mistake in a minute, and then she could go back to having 'fun.'

"I'm Embry."

He was still talking. Why was he still talking to her? He did have a nice voice though. She would have liked to talk to him, if she was any good at that sort of thing. Her name! He had told her his name, now she was supposed to say hers.

"I'm Lydia," she said, keeping her eyes trained on the ground.

"Lydia," he repeated. "Nice name."

"Thanks," she said, and then fell silent. Was she supposed to say something now? Wasn't it his turn to carry on the conversation? Or was it even a conversation in the first place? Maybe he was just taking pity on her. He would probably move on soon.

"So, nice party, right?" he asked.

"What? Oh, yeah, really nice."

He laughed at the hesitation in her voice. "Not your kind of thing?"

She lifted her head to look at him. "No, I-" She stopped. His eyes. Were eyes supposed to look like that? So big, and brown, and perfect? Surely this was abnormal. She would have noticed if other people had eyes like that. Of course, she didn't make it a habit to interact with people, but _still_.

He coughed, and she realized he was still waiting for a response. "I'm, um, I just don't know very many people. I only moved here about 2 months ago."

"Where'd you move from?"

"North Carolina."

He smiled. "So I guess La Push is a lot different from there?"

She smiled in return. It was the first time in a while she hadn't had to force a smile when talking to someone besides James. "It's definitely a lot colder. I've had to get a whole new wardrobe. Not that I had much of one to begin with."

Embry nodded, seeming fascinated by her every word. "That's so cool. I've never been anywhere but here. Well, I've visited my mom's family a few times, but one reservation is the same as the next around here."

"So you're not Quileute?" Lydia asked, surprised. He looked like most of the other people who lived on the rez: dark skin and hair, although his was cut shorter than most.

Embry frowned slightly. "My mom's from the Makah tribe, but I'm definitely Quileute."

Lydia knew instinctively not to ask about his father. She hated when people brought up the subject of her own father, and he might be the same.

"I've got some Quileute in me, too," she said. "I think my dad was half-Quileute or something."

Embry nodded. "That's cool, although Quileute blood can do some crazy things with genetics. That's probably why all the people here are so messed up." He laughed, and Lydia laughed along with him, but she got the feeling she was missing out on some inside joke.

It was easy to talk to him, far easier than talking to anyone else. She had only ever felt this comfortable with James, and even then there had always been a distance in ages between them. James had always been superior, the goal she could never reach, and she was just his little sister, not really an equal. But with Embry, everything came so naturally. It was already 11:55 by the time she remembered to check her watch, and the conversation still hadn't run dry.

"And we used to work on the car all of the time, but then Jacob started to teach this chick how to ride a motorcycle, so we don't get the chance to work on it much anymore," Embry was saying. "But I think we could get it in really good shape, given enough time."

Lydia nodded. "That sounds really cool. My older brother has a truck, but he only just got it when we moved here. It was a bit of a consolation prize from my mom, I guess. He was upset to be leaving all of his friends behind."

"What about you?"

Lydia blushed. "I, um, I was homeschooled. I didn't know that many people." _Or any people, for that matter._ She added silently. She didn't want him to think she didn't have any friends, not with things going so well.

"Are you still homeschooled? I don't remember seeing you around at school."

"Yeah, it's just easier that way. We move around a lot anyway."

Embry frowned at that. "How long will you be here, then?" His right hand was trembling slightly.

Lydia shrugged. "I don't know; it depends on whether or not my mom's job works out. And whether or not she gets another one of her 'great ideas' about where we can go next. She always acts like it's the last time we'll be moving, but she has a short attention span."

Embry frowned again. "Don't you get any say in this?"

"Not really. But as soon as my brother turns eighteen, he can take care of me. He could become my legal guardian, and then we could stay in one place." She didn't know why she was telling him this. James didn't even know that this was what she wanted; they had never really talked about the future.

There was a loud cheering from the center of the room, and Lydia and Embry turned to look. Everyone was gathered around a large TV, watching as the countdown to midnight started.

Embry turned back to Lydia, grinning. "So, is this your first time at a New Year's party?"

Lydia nodded. "Um, yeah, why?"

"Well, I'm assuming you know about the traditions?"

Lydia's breath caught in her throat. He couldn't be talking about what she thought he was. "Um, you drink champagne when the clock hits midnight?" Of course that wasn't what he meant, but she didn't want to say the other.

He laughed, his eyes crinkling together in the most adorable way. "Not quite. See, most people make it a point to kiss someone. You know, a good way to start off the new year."

Lydia stared at him, vaguely noticing the crowd around her beginning to chant the numbers. "Yeah, I've- I've heard of it before." Her voice cracked slightly, and she tried to slow her racing heart.

"Well, I mean, if it's your first party, you should get the full experience and all," Embry murmured, stepping closer to her until their faces were a breath away.

"Ten, nine, eight…" the shout rose up in the background, but her heartbeat seemed to drown it out.

"I-I-" she couldn't remember how to form whole sentences. All she could focus on were his eyes, wide and hopeful.

"Five, four, three…"

He was leaning down, closing the distance between them.

"Two…one!"

Their lips met, and the noise from the surrounding crowd seemed to disappear. She had read romance novels before, and scoffed at all of the silly metaphors. People didn't fall in love at first sight. Sparks didn't fly and true love was for fairy tales. But when he kissed her, she saw fireworks.


	3. It's a Funny Story

Chapter 3

It's a Funny Story

"_My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late!_"

It was almost 1:00 by the time Embry and Lydia stopped talking. He probably would have continued talking to her for as long as possible, but as usual, James Garret had to ruin it. Everything was going perfectly fine until he looked up to see James heading their way. James must not have recognized him, because his face hadn't yet twisted into its normal expression of distaste.

Still, Embry didn't want to have another confrontation with him, especially with Lydia looking on. The whole feud over Rosalind seemed absolutely ridiculous in retrospect, but he still couldn't stand James Garret.

Embry glanced down at his watch and forced his eyes to widen in surprise. "I'm really sorry," he told Lydia. "I have to go or my mom will freak." It wasn't a lie, but his mom would be mad at him no matter what time he got home.

"That's fine," Lydia said, smiling at him shyly.

He began to walk away but stopped suddenly, realizing he had no way to reach her again. He spun around, opening his mouth to ask her if she had a phone, but James was almost on them.

"Bye," he forced out, and nearly ran to the other side of the room. He wasn't scared of James. That would be stupid; he could turn into a giant, probably man-eating wolf. But he wanted Lydia to think the best of him, and James brought out everything awful in him.

Once he was safely out of sight, he leaned against the wall and tried to focus in on the different sounds of the party. The music was loud and pounding, making it hard to distinguish between any of the noises. But after a few minutes of deep concentration, he was able to focus on Lydia's voice.

"It was just a kiss!" she was saying. She sounded upset. Why was she upset? She wasn't supposed to be upset, especially not if he was involved. Had he done something wrong?

"Yeah, just a kiss with a complete stranger!" That was James' voice. Why was James talking to Lydia?

"You didn't even see who it was!"

"Yeah, but unless someone followed us here from North Carolina, I think it's a pretty safe bet to say that you couldn't have known them before tonight. Come on, Lydia, you never talk to anybody. This is the first time you've even gone out!"

"I've gone out before!"

"Going with Annalise to her theater group doesn't count. I'm not bashing your social habits; I'm just questioning your good judgment. Did you even know his name?"

"Of course I knew his name!" Lydia responded indignantly.

"Okay, how about his last name?" James demanded.

There was a brief pause, and then came James' bitter laughter. "Of course. I should never have invited you; Annalise would freak if she found out what you've been doing."

"What _I've_ been doing? You're one to talk! You've never gone two weeks without a girlfriend, and don't think I haven't heard you sneak back into the house at 2 am. What do you think Mom would say about that?"

Embry's stomach dropped. Of course. Of course they had to be siblings. It wouldn't be fair if he imprinted on someone who wasn't related to someone who hated his guts. He should have known; James had only been in town for a few months too. But how could a girl as nice and sweet and perfect as Lydia be related to someone so…James?

"Annalise doesn't control me." James' voice was cold.

"And you don't control me," Lydia snapped back.

"Fine!" Embry could hear the anger in James' voice, and he almost growled at the thought of someone talking to Lydia like that. "Whatever!" James continued. "Do what you want; I'm going to go get a drink."

Embry stopped listening and let out a deep breath. Lydia was James' sister. James was Lydia's brother. He was absolutely, totally, completely screwed.

-Oh Hateful Love-

Lydia sighed and leaned her head against the wall. Why was it that James had decided to start caring about what she did the one time she didn't want him to? He was the one who told her to make new friends. Kissing probably wasn't what he had in mind, but still! Now Embry was gone, and she had no idea if she would see him again.

"Are you okay?" asked a voice from behind her.

Lydia spun around and found herself face to face with Rosalind. "Oh, h-hi," she stammered. James had introduced them when they first arrived at her house, but she hadn't gotten the chance to get to know her. James never brought any of the girls he dated home.

"You look a bit upset, and I saw you and James fighting earlier," Rosalind explained.

"Yeah, we just had a… disagreement."

Rosalind smiled. "Yeah, he told me all about your little disagreement. Honestly, I think he's overacting. But it's really sweet that he cares about you like that."

"Yeah. Sweet," Lydia muttered sourly.

"So what exactly happened? I don't really trust James' explanation skills when he's on full rant mode."

"It was nothing, really. I started talking to this boy, and then we kissed at midnight. I think James is just upset because I didn't know him before tonight."

Rosalind laughed. "It's New Year's Eve; he should cut you some slack! Tonight is like the one night when it is _encouraged_ to make out with total strangers." She giggled again, swaying slightly. "But don't tell James I said that, I don't want him thinking I corrupted you."

Rosalind had an infectious laugh, and Lydia couldn't help laughing along with her. "My lips are sealed." She paused, narrowing her eyes. "Are you drunk?"

Rosalind grinned and put her finger over her lips. "Only a little. But as far as you know, there is absolutely no alcohol at this party."

"Is James drunk?" Lydia asked curiously.

"No, he's being the responsible big brother and staying sober so he can drive you home. But tell me more about this boy!"

Lydia couldn't help but blush slightly. "Well, he's really nice and sweet and funny, and we talked for hours but never ran out of things to say, and I think I might like him a lot."

Rosalind gave a little squeal and clapped her hands together. "That's so adorable! Is he cute?"  
"I think so. He has black hair and tan skin, and the most beautiful brown eyes."

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific than that; 90% of our population looks like that. What's his name?"

"Embry," Lydia said, loving the way his name sounded when she said it.

Rosalind's smile faded. "Embry Call?"

Lydia blushed. "I- I don't exactly know his last name."

"Well, I'd imagine there aren't very many Embry's around here. No wonder your brother freaked out; did he recognize him?"

"No, Embry left before James came over."

"Well, at least there's that."

"Why?" Lydia demanded. "What's wrong with Embry?"

Rosalind sighed reluctantly. "Nothing's 'wrong', exactly. He used to have this really big thing for me, and he and James got into a fight about it. They hate each other now, but it's just boys being boys and trying to be top dog. I guess he's gotten over it if he's going for you now. Just be careful, okay? He can be kind of flighty."

Lydia was about to respond when James appeared at Rosalind's side. "Rose!" he shouted. "Come celebrate the new year with me!" He pulled her in for a sloppy kiss, and Rosalind waved goodbye to Lydia as she and James disappeared back into the crowd.

Lydia sighed and returned to her position on the wall. Was her luck really that horrible? Out of all the people at the party, did she have to have a crush on the one boy that her brother couldn't stand? James got along with almost everyone, why was Embry any different?

She stayed by the wall for the rest of the time, watching the party as she had done before Embry had come over. It had calmed down now. Some people had left, some were making out on the couch or drunkenly stumbling down the hall, and the rest had congregated into small groups and were talking. James and Rosalind were nowhere to be found, but Lydia had some idea where they might be. Despite James' assurances, this was turning out to be a lot like she had imagined. Except for Embry. She could never have imagined Embry.

It was 2:30 by the time James came to get her. His hair was wild and tangled, and his shirt may or may not have been on backwards, but he looked mostly sober. "Let's go," he said shortly, obviously still annoyed with her.

They rode home in silence, but Lydia wasn't really mad at him anymore. It was worry, more than anything, that kept her from meeting his eyes. What if he found out who it was she had been kissing? He would totally freak, and probably never take her anywhere again. Normally, that would be a blessing in disguise, but how else was she supposed to see Embry again?

James pulled into their driveway and signaled for her to be quiet as he carefully unlocked the door. "Annalise is sleeping," he mouthed to her, and gestured for her to go to her room. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, and didn't think about Embry or James again for the rest of the night.

-Oh Hateful Love-

"Embry!" Quil shouted into the night. There was no response, and he turned to Jacob and shrugged. "I've got no idea where he is. And to think, I thought it was you we were going to have to worry about tonight."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jacob demanded.

"It means you have a semi-creepy obsession with a girl who is so not in to you."

"I do not!"

"Dude, it's gotten so bad that _I'm_ having dreams about her. I mean, she's hot and all, but I really don't like pining after her in my sleep."

"It's not like that," Jacob growled. "She's my best friend, and I've always been there for her, and then she just runs off to save some good for nothing leech who abandoned her, and she has the nerve to-"

"I get it; I get it," Quil said quickly. "I've heard the rant enough times to have it memorized. But that's not our problem right now, we need to find Embry."

"He's probably somewhere obsessing about Rosalind."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Seriously, am I the only one around here who has not gone insane with 'love'? Get a cat or something!"

"It's not that simple," Jacob muttered.

Quil let out a sigh of defeat. "Yeah, it's never that simple. Come on, let's go find Embry before he does something stupid."

-Oh Hateful Love-

Embry stomped down the street, muttering to himself. Why did James Garret always have to ruin everything? Everything would be so much simpler if he didn't exist. Because of him, he didn't even get a chance to ask Lydia for her phone number. She was home-schooled, so the only way he could be sure of seeing her again was finding her house. Did that make him a stalker? Possibly. But he was really too angry about James to think about that at the moment.

He had been walking the streets for so long that the sun had already risen, and the neighborhoods were beginning to come to life again. He hadn't gotten any sleep at all that night, but it didn't really matter. He was used to sleepless nights because of patrol, and being a werewolf gave him plenty of extra energy. If only it gave him the power to find Lydia. He had stormed out of the party before she left, and by the time he got the idea of tracking her, her scent was washed away in the powerful stench of the partygoers.

Any sane person might have just given up and gone home, but even thinking about that made him sick to his stomach. He had to find her. Even if he didn't actually talk to her, at least he would know where to find her again. But unless he got seriously lucky in the next few hours, that might never happen.

Embry let out a growl of frustration and kicked the nearby curb. La Push wasn't even that big, how hard could it be to find one girl? He let out another growl and kicked a nearby truck.

Embry froze. _The truck_. He had seen Rosalind climbing into it a million times with her jerk of a boyfriend. If James' truck was parked in the driveway, then this had to be Lydia's house.

His mouth went dry. What was he supposed to say? 'I followed you home because I love you'? Yeah, that would go over well. Maybe he could come back later and pretend that he had just been in the neighborhood. Or he could pretend to be selling something. _Or you could just admit that you're being a creeper_, he silently chided himself.

He slowly turned to walk away. He was glad that he knew where Lydia was, but he didn't want to scare her. It would be better just to leave now, and then find some way to run into her later. That way he could also avoid-

"Hey!"

Embry froze, wincing. Of course. He had the worst luck in the world.

"What are you doing here?" James demanded.

Embry turned to face him, stuffing his hands in his pockets and trying to look innocent. "Well, it's a really funny story…"

**Hi guys! Sorry that this chapter is a bit late, but most of them will be every Saturday. I love hearing from you, so it'd be great if you could leave a review. Good or bad is fine; I just want feedback.**


	4. Something's Changed

Chapter 4

Something's Changed

"_Or if thou think'st I am too quickly won, I'll frown and be perverse and say thee nay."_

Lydia awoke to the sound of shouting. It wasn't something altogether new. Mom sometimes brought a boyfriend home, and it usually ended in a fight. James never brought any girls home, but his other friends would stay over sometimes. But this shouting was coming from outside. One voice was definitely James', and she vaguely recognized the other one.

Lydia stumbled out of bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she peeked out of her window through the curtains. James was standing in the front yard, practically screaming at someone else. She couldn't quite see their face, but there was something familiar about them…

James shifted slightly, and Lydia's stomach dropped. Embry. It was Embry. Standing in the middle of her yard and yelling at her brother, was Embry. She didn't even think, just grabbed a jacket to pull over the tank top she slept in and ran to the front door. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, the reality of the situation crashing down on her.

James didn't know that Embry was the one she had kissed, and as far she was concerned, he never would. If she went out there now, everything would be ruined. But how else would she see Embry again?

Lydia took a steadying breath. It was no use worrying about some boy she had just met. She was already far too obsessed with him; it would be better just to take a step back and let things sort themselves out. Still, she couldn't help but stick her head near the glass panes of the door for one last glimpse of him.

Embry turned to face her the moment she looked out the door, as if he had somehow known she was looking. He began to take a step forward, but James stopped him with a shove to his chest. Lydia watched with baited breath, praying that neither of them would do anything stupid.

Embry almost looked like he was shaking, and his face had twisted into a scowl. He stole one last glance at her, his face softening into a smile when their eyes met, and then turned and stalked down the street. James began to head back inside, and Lydia quickly rushed to the living room couch and pretended to be absorbed in her book. She looked up when the front door slammed open to reveal a fuming James.

"What was that about?" she asked, trying to sound innocent.

"Just some douche bag from school. He was at the party last night, and he was saying something about how he thought I took his phone. Idiot."

Lydia tried to bite back her disappointment. So it hadn't been about her after all, just the continuing feud between her brother and Embry.

"Well, he's gone now," she said, trying to sound like she didn't care.

"Yeah, and good riddance. Hey, have you gotten breakfast yet?"

"Nope, I just got up."

"Come on, I'll take you out for donuts. Annalise is still sleeping; she won't mind."

Lydia eyed him suspiciously. "Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?"

James shrugged, looking almost guilty. "I may have overreacted last night, and I'm sorry. You're right; I'm hardly one to judge. I just want to look out for you; that's all."

Lydia swallowed back her guilt over hiding Embry's identity from James. "It's fine," she said thickly. "And you know I love you for it."

James broke into a grin, all of his anger from before completely gone. "Great. Let's hit the road."

-Oh Hateful Love-

Embry met up with Jacob and Quil a few miles away from Lydia's house.

"Dude, we've been looking for you all night!" Quil exclaimed. "Where've you been?"

"Out," Embry said shortly.

"Oh no, no way. You can't ditch us in the middle of the party and then make us spend all night looking for you and just say you've been 'out'. What's your deal, man?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Embry muttered.

"Well you know what I don't want to talk about? Jacob's girl problems. But thanks to you, I've been hearing about them for the past _six hours._ Now what's going on?" Quil demanded.

Embry shifted uncomfortably. They were going to find out eventually, so he might as well tell them now. "I imprinted," he said quietly.

Quil and Jacob stared at him for a few seconds, and then Quil let out a whoop of laughter. "That's my boy! Who's the lucky girl?"  
"Her name's Lydia."

"Never heard of her."

"She's home schooled, and she only moved here a few months ago."

Quil grinned. "That's great, dude!" His smile faded when he noticed that Embry wasn't sharing in his excitement. "What's the matter?"

"Well, there's one tiny detail I left out," Embry said reluctantly.

"What's that?"

"She's James Garret's little sister."

There was another moment of silence, and then Quil spoke out again. "Dude, you are doomed."

"Thank you; thank you for the reassurance."

"Seriously, what are you going to do about this?" Jacob asked.

Embry shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. Her brother hates my guts, so there's no way that he can know about any of this. He already saw us kissing, but luckily he didn't recognize me."

"You kissed her? Niiiiice," Quil said.

"That's not the point. The point is that if her brother even gets a hint that I like Lydia, he'll kill me. It's not like I couldn't take him in a fight, but I'd rather not scare her away with the whole wolf thing."

Quil shrugged. "Sucks to be you."

"Seriously? That's all you've got for me? This is an emotional crisis!"

"Try talking to Sam, he knows all about how sucky imprinting can be. Until then, you should probably go home. Your mom is going to freak as it is, better not make it worse."

Embry winced at the thought. His mom would kill him if she found out that he stayed out all night again. There might still be a chance for him to sneak back in, but it was a slim one.

It was a short jog back to his place, but it was already nine o'clock in the morning by the time he reached the window to his room. He carefully lifted up the pane, doing his best to keep it silent. He climbed in backwards, scanning the street for any sign of a disturbance. He had almost made it when a throat cleared from behind him.

Embry spun around, letting the window slam shut with a bang. His mother was seated on his bed, and she did _not_ look amused.

"I can explain-" he began, but she cut him off with a look.

"Three times," she said quietly in a tone that was worse than shouting. "Three times in the past month that you've been out all night, and those are only the ones that I know about." She sighed, her face sagging. "What am I supposed to do with you, Embry?"

"Look, Mom, I know I was out late, and I'm sorry, but I have an excuse," Embry said quickly.

His mother shook her head sadly. "There's always an excuse, Embry. But this is getting out of hand. I don't know how to control you anymore. If you don't shape up soon, I'll have to take drastic measures."

"I promise it won't happen again," Embry said. It was a familiar phrase; he had said it hundreds of times before and would probably say it hundreds of times again. That was what happened when you had to keep patrols a secret from your mom.

His mother sighed in defeat. "You're grounded for the next week," she said with almost no emotion, and then slowly walked out of the room.

Embry closed the door behind her and fell back onto his bed. He wasn't worried about being grounded; he could get out of that easily. But he had no idea how to handle the situation with Lydia. Why did imprinting have to be so complicated?

-Oh Hateful Love-

Two days after the party, things seemingly turned back to normal. James returned to school, and Lydia returned to the agonizingly slow read of _Romeo and Juliet_ and didn't think of Embry once. Well, maybe once or twice. A few times. Every passing second.

She shouldn't have been. She had known Embry for all of five hours; that was nowhere near enough time to truly get to know a person. They had talked for hours, but certain details never came up. How old he was. His family. She wouldn't even have known his last name if it weren't for Rosalind. It was silly to be obsessed with a boy she hardly knew. But it was really hard to remember that when she thought about the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled or how interesting he was or the feeling of his lips on hers.

Going to her mother's theatre group provided a welcome distraction from her thoughts of Embry. She brought along enough schoolwork to keep her occupied, and whenever she got bored she could watch her mother ranting about the themes of Shakespeare.

Her home school curriculum wasn't very varied. Her mother focused on teaching her literature, mostly from plays, and the rest was up to her. She was enrolled in an online course for Pre-calc and Chemistry, and the rest she took care of through online blogs and the like.

Today she was focused on _Romeo and Juliet,_ again. She was at the part where Juliet was speaking to Romeo from the balcony. There was the famous line, "Wherefore art thou Romeo?", that always made her mother so angry. Everyone assumed it meant 'where are you Romeo', when in reality it meant 'why are you Romeo'. She had heard enough rants about that common error to last a lifetime.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't focus on the book. She knew what happened because of James' explanation, but none of it seemed to make sense. There were all sorts of long passages, and soon she wasn't sure if the letters were blurring together because of her dyslexia or because she was exhausted. Juliet had just called Romeo back for the third time when she slammed the book shut in frustration. Why did she even have to read the stupid book? She had seen the play enough times to have the whole thing memorized.

Lydia set the book aside with a sigh and turned to her laptop. She would just work on some math for now; that always helped to clear her mind. Except, of course, for today. Every time she tried to focus on her lesson, Embry came to mind. What was it about this boy that made him impossible to forget? Was she just infatuated because he was the first boy to really pay attention to her? Or was he truly special? She wished that she could ask James, but there was no way she was telling him about Embry. Besides, he didn't have the best of luck with girls. Probably because he always dated tramps who ended up dumping him because they couldn't take the commitment.

"Lydia! What are you doing?"

Lydia jumped a little, turning to face her mother. "I was just working on some math."

"What about your book?" her mother demanded. "Lydia, I don't want you being distracted from reading. How far are you?"

"I'm at the part where Romeo is speaking to Juliet on the balcony."

"Only there? Lydia, you've had the book for at least a month. James finished the book in a week."

Lydia sighed. "Yeah, well James isn't dyslexic."

"I don't like your tone, young lady. And I don't like excuses either."

"It's not an excuse, Mom, it's an actual thing."

"Well, if you worked harder I'm sure it would be easier," her mother said firmly.

"Okay, sure, I'll try harder," Lydia relented. It was easier just to agree with her mom when she got like this. Half the time she didn't care, and the other half nothing was good enough.

"Now, come join us for a discussion. We're talking about the themes of love in Shakespeare's plays."

Lydia nodded her consent and followed her mother into the small room where the rest of the theatre group sat in a small circle. There were only about ten people, but that didn't seem to bother her mother.

Her mother sat down near the center of the circle, gesturing for Lydia to join her. "As I was saying, love makes an appearance in almost all of Shakespeare's plays. He often uses it as a catalyst for his plot, and it is of course a major theme in his sonnets. The way he handles love is rather remarkable for his time. He uses unrequited love, compassionate love, and especially forbidden love to make the plot more interesting, and his style reveals some of the truths about love that many are afraid to admit. Now, why don't we go around the circle and discuss what we personally think about Shakespeare's use of love."

Lydia couldn't help but zone out again as everyone began to talk. Her mother did this at every theatre group she led, and Lydia could probably recite the themes of love from memory. It was her mother's favorite topic, even though she never had much luck in the area herself.

Her mother's hand drew her out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry, what?" Lydia asked, trying to act like she had been paying attention.

"I asked you to share your opinion on love in Shakespeare."

"Oh. Well, um, I think he uses it as- as a force of nature. The people in his plays can't really help but fall in love, even if they think it's wrong. That's what makes it so powerful, because people are helpless against it."

Her mother raised her eyebrows. "That's a very interesting take on it, Lydia. Quite different from what you usually say."

She was right. Usually, Lydia spoke about how love was something fleeting and temporary. People made it out to be better than it was, because they were so desperate for things to go right. It didn't have any real pull on people. But now, her thoughts were completely different. It was meeting Embry, she realized with a sinking sensation in her stomach, that had changed her opinion so drastically. How could one boy have so much of an effect on her?

"May I ask what brought on this change of heart?" her mother asked.

"Nothing," Lydia said quickly. "Nothing's changed at all." But something had changed, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

**Hey guys, thanks for the follows and favorites. If you like the story, a review would be awesome. Even just 'good story' would be great :) Hope you liked it!**


	5. The Perks of Football

Chapter 5

The Perks of Football

"_Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow."_

It had been a week since the worrying discussion at Lydia's mom's theatre group. She tried not to think about Embry, but every time she got the least bit distracted, he would pop back into her mind. It was infuriating and silly and absolutely wonderful. But the longer she went without seeing him, the more morose she became. Her brother's football game came as a much needed distraction, and she was more than happy to go support him.

She rode to the game with him in his truck, but once they arrived at the stadium she was on her own. They had arrived early, so there were only a few people seated in the bleachers. She wandered around for a bit before Rosalind called her over from her seat beside the field. She was wearing sweatpants and a jacket, but Lydia could see the bright blue school colors peaking through her jacket. Her long blond hair was up in two pigtails tied with ribbons, and the school's mascot had been painted on both of her cheeks.

"Lydia!" she said cheerily. "It's so great to see you here!"

"You too," Lydia said, smiling. She honestly enjoyed talking to Rosalind, something she couldn't say for most of her brother's girlfriends. 'Are you here to watch James?"

"Actually, I'm a cheerleader," Rosalind said, gesturing to two pom-poms tucked beneath her feet. "But watching James play is definitely a plus. Is that why you're here?"

"Yeah, and I really just wanted to get out of the house."

"You should hang out with James and me sometime," Rosalind suggested.

Lydia couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure he would love me tagging along. I'd rather not be a third wheel."

Rosalind laughed along with her. "Well, James can get over it. We go out with friends a bunch, and I'm sure they'd all love you. You should think about it."

"I will," Lydia grinned. It felt good to be included in something.

"So, about the New Year's party. Sorry if I was a little tipsy; I'm not usually like that," Rosalind explained. "I think James was annoyed with me for setting a bad example."

Lydia laughed. "He's hardly one to talk. Believe me, out of all his girlfriends, you're definitely the best role model."

Rosalind's smile faded slightly. "Exactly how many girlfriends has he had?"

Lydia hesitated. "Oh, well, um, a few. A lot. But he's not like some sort of player. They're always the ones who break up with him."

"Why do they do that?"

Lydia shrugged. "Usually something stupid, like they 'can't handle the commitment.' My brother really doesn't have the best taste in girls. You're the exception, obviously."

Rosalind blushed at the compliment and looked down. "Thanks." She glanced up at the bleachers, which were quickly filling up. "If you're going to get any food, I'd do it now before the lines get too long. The popcorn is really good."

"Thanks for the tip," Lydia said, turning to go.

"Oh, and Lydia?" Rosalind called after her.

"Yeah?"

"Have fun," Rosalind said, smiling gently.

"I will," Lydia promised, going back up the bleachers until she reached the concessions stand. There were only three people ahead of her in line, so before she knew it she was ordering and handing over her money. She got popcorn and a soda, and was struggling to hold her food when she turned around directly into someone's chest.

"I'm sorry," she stammered, looking up only to freeze. It was Embry. Embry was here. She was talking to Embry.

"Lydia!" he exclaimed, his face breaking into one of the biggest smiles she had ever seen. "It's so good to see you!"

"You- you too," she said quickly. "What are you doing here?"

"My friends dragged me out here, something about getting fresh air. But now I'm really glad I came."

"You're here with friends?" Lydia asked, trying to ignore her disappointment. Of course he was here with friends; no one went to a football game alone. Except, apparently, her.

"Yeah, but I'd so much rather hang out with you." He paused, frowning. "That is, if you even want me to."

"Of course I do," Lydia said quickly. She blushed. She was making a fool of herself. "I- I mean, sure. That'd be cool." She tried to sound nonchalant, but she had a feeling she failed.

"Great! Let me grab some food, and then we can find a seat."

Embry ended up buying three bags of popcorn, two hotdogs, and some nachos. Lydia was pretty sure that was more than people usually ate, but she couldn't be certain. Maybe Embry was just really hungry.

They found seats near the center of the bleachers with a good view of the football field. Lydia offered to sit with him and his friends, but Embry was adamant that they be alone. Once they were seated comfortable Embry began to speak again.

"Sorry if I'm being too forward," he said apologetically. "I don't want to scare you off or anything; I just really like you."

Lydia smiled shyly. "It's okay. I like you a lot too." There were butterflies in her stomach, and she felt as if her entire body was buzzing.

"And I'm sorry for running off at the party like that. I just- I didn't want-"

"For my brother to see you?" Lydia supplied.

Embry winced. "Yeah. So I guess you know that we're not the best of friends."

"Well, even if I wasn't able to figure that out from the way he was screaming at you in our yard, Rosalind told me."

Embry seemed to get a shade paler. "Rosalind?"

"Yeah. She said you used to have a thing for her?"

Embry looked down at his hands. "Um, yeah. Yeah, I did. It was kind of silly of me. But it was nothing big, I swear."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," Lydia said gently.

"But I want to," Embry said, looking into her eyes earnestly. "I don't want you thinking I'm some sort of player, that I just move from one girl to another. I was infatuated with Rosalind, but I never really knew her. Everything feels different with you."

Lydia bit her lip. Embry looked so serious. But they had only met each other a week ago, and this was only the second time she had seen him, excluding that moment on her lawn. Nothing about this was logical, but she couldn't help but feel the same way about him.

Embry noticed her hesitation and winced. "Sorry. I'm being too forward again, aren't I?"

"No, it's fine," Lydia said quietly.

"No, it's not. Not if I'm making you uncomfortable. I'm not very good at knowing when to stop talking. You can just tell me to shut up at any time."

"It's fine," Lydia said again, but this time she meant it. Everything about Embry seemed open and sweet. She honestly believed him when he said he didn't mean to make her uncomfortable. It was ironic, really; he had a problem talking too much, and she never talked enough.

"So have you been to a football game before?" Embry asked curiously.

"Not really," Lydia admitted. "James is on the football team at almost every place we move to, but I've never really had a reason to go before now."

"So what's your reason this time?"

Lydia blushed and looked down. "I- I just needed to get out of the house." _So I could stop thinking about you_, she added silently. That last part hadn't exactly worked out.

"That's cool. I always get a little stir-crazy when I'm at home for too long. Apparently I'm 'restless'. At least, that's what my mom says. It's pretty obvious she disapproves."

"Our moms couldn't be more different then," Lydia said wryly. "If I had to describe my mom in one word, restless would be it. We've never stayed in the same place for more than a few months."

She looked down and noticed that Embry's hands were shaking again. Was he just nervous?

"I think it would be cool to move at least once," he said, but his voice sounded more strained than before. "I've only ever been here and the Makah tribe, and everything kind of blurs together around here. It would be so cool to explore the world."

"So why can't you?"

Embry shrugged reluctantly. "I've kind of got some pretty deep ties here. I probably won't be moving any time soon."

"Well, nothing's impossible."

"Yeah." Embry didn't sound like he agreed with her, but within a few seconds he was back to his normally cheery self.

They talked through most of the game, and Lydia found herself ignoring the field and focusing on memorizing every detail of Embry's face. The way his laugh sounded, the way he was constantly fiddling with his hands, his constant enthusiasm about everything. She felt like a schoolgirl with a crush, hanging onto every word he said.

As the third quarter drew to a close, Embry seemed to get more and more nervous. He was constantly glancing around, fiddling with the sleeves on his jacket and scratching his head. "So, um," he said after a few minutes of silence. "Can I have your number? Your phone number, I mean? If you don't want to, that's fine, I completely understand, but I was just wondering-"

"I'd love to give you my number," Lydia interrupted his babbling. "But I don't actually have a cell phone. There was never any point before now. But I can give you my home phone, if you want."

"Sure, that'd be great!" Embry said, grinning. "Here, let me get my phone out so I can put your number in."

He dug around in his jacket pocket for a few minutes before finally withdrawing a beaten flip phone and turning it on. "Okay, what is it?"

Lydia carefully recited her number to him, the butterflies in her stomach getting worse. He had asked for her number. That was a good thing, right?

"I'll be at home all weekend," she told him "So call anytime you want. But if my brother answer's the phone, just hang up. I'd rather not have him freaking out on me again."

"Completely understandable," Embry said, smiling. "And I'll be sure to call you the first chance I get tomorrow."

They talked for the rest of the game, and by the time it was over Lydia was fighting to hold back her yawns. Embry offered his hand to her as he stood up, and she gratefully accepted it. They walked together until they were almost out of the stadium, and it was only then that Lydia remembered she was supposed to meet her brother by the bleachers.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," she promised Embry, and then hurried back to the bleachers.

Rosalind was down there talking to some of the other cheerleaders, but when she noticed Lydia she gestured for her to come over. "What did you think?" she asked brightly. "Pretty great game, right?"

"Oh, um, yeah. Great game."

Rosalind giggled and lightly nudged her with her elbow. "Of course, I can't expect you to know too much about that, since you were too busy staring into the eyes of Embry Call."

Lydia blushed for what felt like the hundredth time that night. "Was I really that obvious?"

"Don't worry, he was just as obviously in to you."

"You won't tell James, will you?" Lydia asked anxiously.

"My lips are sealed," Rosalind assured her. "Just be careful, okay? I don't want you getting hurt."

"Don't worry; I won't do anything stupid," Lydia promised.

"Well, I told James I would meet him outside the locker room, so I guess I'll see you later!"

"Bye!" Lydia said, waving at Rosalind's receding form. If James was meeting Rosalind, she might have a bit of a wait, so she sat down on the nearest bleacher and replayed every moment of her time with Embry in her mind over and over again. It had been the perfect night.

James saw Rosalind as soon as he exited the locker room. Her hair, which had been in two pigtails before the game, was now pulled into a messy bun, and the face paint on her cheek was so smudged that it was unrecognizable. She smiled the moment she saw him, and he felt his heart start to beat a little bit faster. He always felt this way when he was around her, like he was at the very top of a roller coaster and about to go plummeting down.

"Hey champion," she said, pulling him in for a hug and then a long kiss.

He returned the kiss, only pulling away when he remembered that Lydia was still waiting for him. She could wait for a bit, but if he let himself get too caught up in Rosalind he might end up forgetting about her.

"It's good to see you," he said honestly. "Here, I got you something."

He reached into his bad and pulled out a half crushed box of chocolates and a single rose.

Rosalind let out a little squeal. "Oh, I love it! James you are the sweetest!"

"I'm also the luckiest."

Rose let out a small laugh. "How's that?"

"I've got you," he said pulling her in for another kiss.

They broke apart a little later that time, and James had to struggle to keep his breathing in check. He needed to get Lydia. Lydia. Lydia…but Rosalind looked so beautiful, smiling up at him with one hand on his arm and the other in his hair.

"You're the best boyfriend I've ever had," she said with a softness in her eyes that he wasn't used to seeing.

James felt a small sinking in his stomach. That's what everyone said. 'You're the best boyfriend. You're so sweet. You go through so much trouble.' But that always seemed to turn into 'I'm just not ready for this. I think we should see other people. You're going to make some girl very happy one day.' That was, when they even bothered to break up with him. Half the time he just caught them cheating with some other guy. But Rosalind was different; she had to be different.

He gave her one last long kiss, reluctantly pulling away after a bit. "I really do have to go," he said regretfully. "Lydia's waiting for me."

"Well don't let me keep you waiting then," Rosalind said lightly. "They'll be plenty of time later, I don't want your sister to freeze because of me."

"I'll text you later," James promised before heading back out towards the bleachers, all of his previous worries forgotten.


	6. Everything Will Be Fine

Chapter 6

Everything Will Be Fine

_And art thou changed? Pronounce this then. Women may fall, when there's no strength in men._

Lydia was up with the sun on Saturday. She had stayed up far later than usual at the football game, but Embry had said he would call and she didn't want to miss him. Her mother and James would suspect that something was off if she hung around the phone all day, so she did her best to distract herself with ordinary tasks. She cleaned her room, although there was practically nothing to clean, even after two months of living there. She had learned long ago not to get comfortable in any given place. She would just have to pack it up again anyway.

After that she returned to reading _Romeo and Juliet_. Romeo and Juliet had decided to get married after a whopping two days of knowing each other. If anything, they made her mother and brother's decisions in love seem well thought out.

The phone rang when she was half way through Romeo's speech to the Friar about love, and Lydia dove towards the phone before any of the members of her family could react.

"Hello?" she said breathlessly, clutching the phone against her ear.

"Hi, this is John Dunn, and I'm representing the Institution of-"

Lydia hung up the phone without bothering to reply. A telemarketer. She had made a fool of herself for a telemarketer.

"Was that the phone?" James called from the kitchen.

"Just some telemarketer," Lydia replied quickly.

"Cool. I'm going out with Rosalind, you okay on your own?"

"Mom's here."

"Yeah, well, do you think you can manage?" James asked as he walked through the living room and towards the door.

Lydia rolled her eyes. James' refusal to acknowledge their mother as an actual mom was starting to get annoying. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Great," James blew her a kiss on his way out. "Have fun. Don't answer the door to strangers. No wild parties while I'm gone."

"Just go already," Lydia said, laughing as she shoved James out of the house and closed the door behind him.

She was too distracted to go back to reading, so she wandered around the house for a while, going from room to room and pretending to be busy whenever her mother looked up. It was about half an hour before the phone rang again, and Lydia practically flew towards it to answer it.

"Hello?" she sounded less breathless this time, which was definitely an improvement.

"Is James Garret there?" asked a male voice that she didn't recognize.

"Who is this?" she asked curiously.

"I'm looking for James Garret."

Lydia let out a huff of annoyance at the mysterious speaker's avoidance of her question. "He's not here right now. Can I take a message?"

"I'll call back later," said the voice, and the line went dead before Lydia could ask anything else.

This time the wait between phone calls was only about twenty minutes, but Lydia answered the phone with far less enthusiasm than she had the first two times. "Yes?"

"Lydia?" asked a familiar voice.

"Embry!" she practically squealed.

"Hey!" he sounded just as excited as her. "I'm glad you're up; I was afraid I called too early."

"It's fine," Lydia said quickly. "I just got up a few minutes ago." She didn't want Embry to think she was desperate.

"Cool. Are you planning on doing anything fun today?" Embry asked curiously.

"Not really," Lydia admitted. "I think my mom's teaching a class on Shakespeare, but I won't be going today. What about you?"

There was a pause, and when Embry spoke again he sounded tense. "Just going out with some friends."

"From school?"

"Some of them." Embry sounded slightly uncomfortable, but it was gone when he spoke again. "So what did you think of the game last night?"

"It was a lot better than I expected."

"Oh yeah? What did you expect?"

"I don't know. A bunch of jocks and preps just using it as an excuse to hang out."

Embry laughed at her honesty. "To tell the truth, it's usually like that. But you being there made it a lot cooler."

It was a good thing they were talking over the phone; otherwise Embry would see her blushing furiously. "Thanks. It was really fun hanging out with you." She winced as soon as the words left her mouth. She sounded so stupid! Why couldn't she be funny or cute and clever?

Embry didn't seem to care though, because he continued to talk to her as if she was actually interesting. Lydia lost track of time, but it felt like they had only been talking for a few minutes when her mother was gesturing for her to hang up.

"You've had a monopoly on the phone long enough; I need to make a call."

"I've got to go," Lydia told Embry. "I wish I could keep talking to you though."

"Same here," Embry chuckled. "I'll call you later."

Lydia glanced at the clock and realized with shock that she had been talking to Embry for over two hours. They hadn't run out of things to talk about once, and she was already looking forward to when they could talk again. It was official; she was crushing on her brother's sworn enemy. Great.

James pulled into Rosalind's driveway with care. He was meeting her parents today, so it was important that he make a good first impression. Not that he was really worried; parents always loved him. Of course, that didn't stop any of his previous girlfriends from breaking up with him.

He paused at her front door and straightened his shirt, running a hand through his dark brown hair to make it look ruffled. The moment he rang the doorbell Rosalind yanked the door open.

"James!" she squealed, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and then pulling him into the house.

"It's good to see you again."

Rosalind laughed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You saw me last night, James."

"Yeah, but it was sooo long," James grinned.

"Well I'm glad you're here. Come on, my parents are in the living room. My dad's a bit…intense, so don't be scared, okay?"

"No problem," James said confidently.

The conversation was the same as always. How were his grades, did he play any sports, what was he planning on doing in his future. And as usual, James had all the answers. All A's and B's, courtesy of Annalise's intense attitude when it came to school. He played football. He had already applied to several colleges, and was hoping to do something in sales. Impressing the parents was always easy; it was keeping the girl that he needed to worry about.

He talked to Rosalind's parents for about half an hour before she finally insisted that they leave before they missed the movie. "It was great to meet you," James said, shaking their hands and smiling.

And it was, truly. He always enjoyed meeting new people. He was the opposite of Lydia in that way. He always had to poke and prod her into talking to his friends. Except Rosalind. That was yet another reason Rosalind was different than any other girl he had dated. Lydia could never stand any of his past girlfriends, but she seemed to get along with Rosalind just fine.

James opened the door to his truck for Rosalind to get in, and then walked around to the driver's side. "You did awesome," Rosalind said as he started to drive. "My dad loved you; I've never seen him so friendly with a guy I bring home."

"Well, your family is awesome," James replied. "I loved meeting them."

"What about your family?" Rosalind asked. "When do I get to meet them?"

"You've already met Lydia."

"Yeah, but what about your mom?" Rosalind insisted.

James tensed up, but forced himself to relax his grip on the steering wheel. "What's the point? She really doesn't have any say in my life. Who cares what she thinks?"

"I do. I want your family to like me."

"Annalise gave birth to me, but she's not exactly family," James said tightly.

"Oh," Rosalind said quietly.

James turned his head slightly, trying to read her expression. She looked thoughtful, and maybe a bit worried. At least she wasn't asking any more questions. The worst was when his girlfriends tried to 'heal' his broken relationship with Annalise. He didn't need healing; he just needed to get out of her house as soon as he could. College would make that possible, but it would mean leaving Lydia behind, and he still wasn't sure if he was ready to do that.

"Hey," Rosalind said, reaching over and shaking his knee. "You were zoning out again. Watch the road, silly, I don't want to crash."

"Sorry," James said guiltily, focusing on the road again.

They reached the movies within a few minutes, but James had to circle around the parking lot several times before he could find an open space. They were going to see some romance movie which was apparently very popular. James didn't really care about it, but Rosalind wanted to go, so of course he had agreed to it.

There was a chill in the air as they stood in the line for tickets, turning Rosalind's cheeks a bright shade of pink. James put an arm around her, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. Why was he nervous? It wasn't like this was the first date, where he had almost spilled his drink all over his shirt and spent half the time just staring at her. They were already dating, well past the 'nervous stage'. Unless this was the nervous energy that came with the 'breakup stage'. He could always feel it coming, even though he tried to ignore it. It was never that bad though. The heartache passed after a few weeks, and then it was on to the next girl. Lydia told him it passed quickly because it was never real heartbreak. She never approved of his girlfriends, and every time they dumped him she would just nod knowingly and say 'I told you so'. But Rosalind was different. She had to be.

It took all of Embry's self control not to think about Lydia during his patrol on Sunday. He had called her yesterday, but it already felt like ages had passed since they last talked. Every second brought on the urge to think about what she was doing, to analyze their hours of conversation, to memorize every little detail of her face. He had told the pack that he imprinted, but no one knew the circumstances except Jacob and Quil, and he wanted it to stay that way.

The other members of the pack ran off as soon as they were finished, but Embry lingered behind, wanting to talk to Sam. Sam sensed his desire and remained as a wolf instead of phasing back.

"_What's on your mind?_ " he asked.

Embry hesitated. He knew he wanted to talk to Sam, but his whole situation seemed to small in comparison to what Sam had gone through. "_It's about my imprint_."

"_You really like her, but something's holding you back. What?_"

Embry paused in surprise. He always forgot how perceptive Sam was. "_It's her brother._"

"_What, you don't like him_?"

"_It's more of a mutual hatred. She's homeschooled, but he's not, and we've had a few…run-ins." _

"_Is he stopping you from seeing her_?"

"_Well, that's the thing. He doesn't exactly know about it._"

Sam's thoughts were disapproving. "_Keeping secrets isn't a good way to start a relationship."_

"_Yeah, because it's not like I'm keeping any other secrets. Like, I don't know, the fact that I turn into a giant wolf hybrid thing._" Embry thought sarcastically.

"_You're going to have to tell her everything eventually._"

"_Eventually is the key word there. I've known her for less than two weeks._"

"_Then you have some time,_" Sam conceded. "_But don't put it off forever. And clear things up with her brother. Things like that will end up blowing up in your face._"

"_It's not like we're even dating yet. I'll tell him once things get serious._"

Sam still didn't agree with Embry, but it was clear that he wanted Embry to make his own decisions. _"You should get home,"_ he thought at last. "_You don't want to worry your mother any more than necessary._"

Embry ran through the woods until he was behind his house, and then phased and changed into his spare set of clothes. His mother didn't know he was gone, so he snuck in through his back window. After he made himself presentable again he walked into the kitchen, only to find his mother waiting for him.

"Where have you been?" she demanded before he could say anything. "You said you were reading, but when I went in to check on you an hour ago you were no where to be found!"

Embry opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say. He couldn't exactly tell her the truth. "I- I was-" he began, but his mother cut him off.

"You were out with that Sam again, weren't you? I'm telling you Embry, those boys are no good; I don't want you getting mixed up with them."

"There's nothing wrong with Sam!" Embry protested.

"You're defending him now? I knew it! Embry, I don't want you around him anymore. I'm worried about you, sweetie."

"I'm fine, Mom."

"Are you? Maybe you should spend some time with your cousins."

"In the Makah tribe?" Embry exclaimed. "Mom, no! All of my friends are here; you can't just send me away!"

"Unless you get your act together, I'm not sure if I'll have a choice."

"I'll do better; I promise," Embry said quickly. "Just don't send me away." He couldn't possibly leave now, not with his responsibilities to the pack and Lydia.

His mother pursed her lips, considering it. "I don't want another promise; I want proof. Show me that you're willing to obey my rules, and everything will be fine. But I'm out of options, Embry. This is the last chance."

"I know; I know. Everything will be fine; believe me." Unless he had to sneak out for patrol again. Or his mother saw him around Sam. Or James found out about him and Lydia. But everything would be fine.


End file.
